Shane & Shane

The One You Need
Fair Trade Services

Acoustic duo Shane & Shane has released its first studio release in two years, “The One You Need.” The pair, Shane Everett and Shane Barnard, who met in the late ’90s in College Station, Texas, has released six records and have been a college-circuit staple for much of the last 13 years.

Completely self-written and self-produced, the record is an eclectic mix, with flashes of true brilliance. With the start of almost every song, I thought I knew where the song was headed, only to be surprised by the direction the lyrics and music forged. The opener, “Liberty,” had me expecting (and hoping for) a raw ’40s acoustic-blues number, and then morphed into an odd mix of Hammond B3 organ and banjo. Yep, B3 and banjo, then back into old-time acoustic slide and foot stomping. Whew! “Future Version” had me checking my music player to be sure some John Mayer hadn’t somehow slipped in. Should Mayer ever move to Christian music, this is what it would sound like. The project’s debut single and title track was written as a letter to Barnard’s then-unborn daughter Lucy and is as poignant in its message as some other songs are schizoid in their development. Did I say eclectic?

This is one you should hear. Maybe not for the masses, but I’m sure glad I didn’t miss it.